Thanks Will. I never considered a difference between flood and spot, but you are correct. I found a dispersal pattern on the web - there is a difference!

I see more and more LED bulbs and fewer incandescents these days. Have to wonder what will be available 3-5 yrs from now. My house is 75% LED now..

Some years ago, I spoke with a guy who kept western hognose for fun before the more recent hognose craze. His formula for maintenance and breeding success was overhead heat up to 95 deg one one side of the cage. He swore by ventilation (more than for kingsnakes anyway) and available high heat during the day, with nights OK to be cool. He did not care about substrate depth, or substrate for that matter (used newspaper alot).

I just read a caresheet on Extreme Hogs. His approach uses room heat up to 96 deg for at least a few hours each day, then cooling off to 80 at night.

Seems to me that hognose are tough snakes that can probably survive under kingsnake conditions, but they do best in conditions that are at the extreme or very uncomfortable end for many commonly-kept colubrids. I can't wait to try it myself.

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